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Frank and Louie possessed two near-separate faces due to a very rare congenital condition known as diprosopia. The fascinating feline shared two functioning eyes a central eye which was blind, two noses, two mouths and one brain.

Janus cats rarely survive more than a day following their birth. Since his first appearance in the Guinness World Records book in 2006, Frank and Louie become an unlikely media star, appearing in countless newspaper reports and online news videos throughout the world.

In autumn 2011 Guinness World Records was contacted by Marty Stevens, Frank and Louie's owner, who revealed that he was still alive and in good health, and in September 2011 he celebrated his twelfth birthday!

As a kitten, he required a lot of care and attention and was fed every two hours with special kitten formula.

"He grew up in a shoebox." says owner Marty, who was working as a vet nurse when she adopted the cat who had been brought in to her surgery. "He went to work with me every day for the first three months of his life."

Eventually Frank and Louie became strong enough to play with the other cats and became special friends with the family dog. He was even taken out on a leash for walks in the neighbourhood.

The term 'Janus' is a reference to the Roman god usually depicted as having two faces in mythology.

Sadly, at the respectable age of 15, Frank and Louie fell ill and was euthanized after suffering from what veterinarians suspected was "really bad cancer," owner Marty Stevens told Telegram.com.

“Like many record-breakers, Frankenlouie defied the odds and entered the history books for his remarkable story – in his case, overcoming medical issues and living a long, happy life," said Guinness World Records Editor-in-chief Craig Glenday.

"It helped that he received such love and care from his owner, Marty, who must be doubly upset at the loss of her special friend."

"Cats such as Frank and Louie, born with two faces, suffer from a developmental abnormality known as diprosopia, in which the face widens and partially duplicates during embryogeny due to the excessive production of a specific protein called SHH," said Guinness World Records life sciences consultant Dr Karl Shuker.

"The technical term for such a cat is a diprosopus, but as this is not the most readily pronounceable term, however, when I first wrote about such cats over a decade ago I coined for them the term 'Janus cat', named after the Roman god of doorways, Janus, who had one body and one head but two faces, just like these cats."

"He was 15 years old, an incredible age for a Janus cat, far surpassing all previous examples and likely never to be surpassed by any in the future. A wonderful testament to the love and devotion that Marty had always given to him throughout his long and happy life with her. Rest in peace, Frank and Louie."